Today is Mother’s Day, the second Sunday in May that Americans set aside to recognize the efforts of those women who sacrifice to nurture their families and, in turn, make our communities stronger.

There’s no question that, over the years, the role of mothers and the make-up of modern families have changed considerably. There are certainly fewer “traditional stay-at-home moms” these days than in previous decades.

It’s not easy raising kids. And, today, more mothers — sometimes single-handedly — juggle their careers and often multiple jobs and responsibilities with meeting the needs of their children and families.

Every mom can use an extra hand at times. So it’s important that we not only recognize the biological and adoptive mothers among us, but all those who take on maternal duties, too.

Some fathers may take on the roles of both dad and mom. In other cases, grandparents have taken on or shared the role of mother for their grandkids — even after they’ve raised their own kids. As more of us live longer, in many families, adult children take on a maternal role in helping to care for their elderly parents, returning the care and sacrifice offered to them earlier in life.

Mothers can come from all walks of life. Let’s not forget about the foster parents who open their hearts and their homes to children without a stable place to call home and offer comfort to children facing some very difficult circumstances of abuse or neglect.

Witness the story of Fall River foster mom Nanci Fiddes, who — at age 66, long after her own adult children left the nest — opened the home she shares with her husband, David, to two siblings, ages 2 and 3, without a home of their own.

The Fiddeses fell in love with their foster kids and decided to adopt the brother and sister last year, who are now ages 6 and 5, creating a second family to care for in their older years. They even took in another 3-year-old foster child. “It’s wonderful,” Nanci Fiddes said. “Just to hear them laughing and running around and having so much fun. It just makes you feel great.”

The Fiddeses’ story reminds us that there are many children in our community who need a loving family in their life. Loving, motherly support can come from people from all walks of life and circumstances.

For some whose mothers are no longer with them, today is a bittersweet day to look back fondly on memories of Mom, but also miss her. On this day set aside to thank those wise, nurturing people in our lives, may we all strive to emulate the example of a mother’s love in our own lives.

Page 2 of 2 - If you are a mom — in any way — take a bow today. And be sure to recognize the moms out there — and do something nice to thank them for carrying out the most important job in our ever-changing world. Happy Mother’s Day!